This invention relates generally to wire tie tensioning and, more specifically, to wire tie tensioning and clipping guns.
Tie wrap guns or controlled tension installation tools tension and clip wire ties that bundle and attach wires, cables, and other equipment in devices or vehicles such as ships and aircraft.
Tie wrap guns are typically hand-held pistol-shaped devices that are operated manually. The tie wrap guns typically uniformly tension wire ties and clip an extra portion of the wire tie (typically the wire tie tail). In prior art tie wrap guns, wire tie debris such as the clipped tail are typically unrestrained. The unrestrained debris falls away from the gun when the debris or tail is severed from the tie after tensioning. The loose debris or tails must be recovered and removed, which in confined spaces is difficult.
FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary prior an tie wrap gun 10. The gun 10 includes a barrel 14 with a tip 12. The tie wrap gun 10 is operated with a trigger 16 that uniformly tensions the tie wrap and clips extra tail material flush from the tie wrap. The tie wrap tail enters the gun and exits from the gun after being severed through an exit 18. It will be appreciated that other exemplary tie wrap guns grasp the tie wrap tail at their tip 12 and have no exit 18 Tie wrap guns 10 are typically pistol-shaped and hand-held. Exemplary tie wrap guns are made by the Panduit Corporation. The tie wrap gun 10 both tensions the tie wrap and severs the extra tail from the tie wrap. It will be appreciated that other tie configurations and other tie wrap guns generate wire tie debris.
Large, power-driven automated tie wrap guns sometimes include integral wire tie debris or tail collectors. However, such automated guns are bulky, heavy, and hard to use in confined or awkwardly shaped spaces. Further, the collectors in automated guns are not removable.
Therefore, an unmet need exists for a lightweight, compact, and simple tie wrap debris catcher, especially for hand-held manual tie wrap guns that may be used in confined spaces.
The present invention provides a lightweight and flexible apparatus for capturing wire tie debris. The present invention advantageously collects tie wrap debris, thereby reducing time and labor required for cleanup after wire bundling, for example, in aircraft.
An exemplary embodiment of the apparatus includes a catcher arranged to attach to a tie wrap gun. The catcher is arranged to capture tic wrap tails exiting from the tie wrap gun after tie wraps are tensioned and clipped. The apparatus also includes a collector arranged to attach to the catcher. The collector is arranged to hold captured tie wrap tails. In further aspects of the invention, the collector may include a trap arranged to hold tie wrap tails in the collector. In an aspect of the invention, the debris catcher may be easily removable from the tie wrap gun and the debris collector may be readily detached, thereby permitting the collector to be emptied. In extremely confined spaces, the catcher and the collector may be removed from the tie wrap gun, thereby permitting the tie wrap gun to be used alone.